Year in Review 2024 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst 37 To mark the 150th anniversary of the Diocese, master joiner Martin Coman created an exquisite Processional Cross that embodies the origins of the Diocese. Formed in the shape of the Paderborn Cross, the eight-foothigh Cross led the 150th Anniversary Pilgrimage from St Kilian’s Church to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Palm Sunday and travelled to foundational parishes for anniversary celebrations of the Diocese over the year. Martin, a St Joseph’s Quarry Hill parishioner who also created the Ambry for the Cathedral, was honoured to undertake such an important project. He carefully selected two distinct timbers; sugar pine, a soft blonde wood, and blackwood, a dark hardwood. The sugar pine, used as an exterior moulding to cap the Cathedral’s rafters, was salvaged from leftover materials stored by the original carpenter, Paul Coppock, since the Cathedral’s completion in the 1970s. Blackwood, a prominent feature of the Cathedral’s interior, including its pews, is indigenous to the Diocese, with some of the timber sourced from Martin’s own property. The Processional Cross features a long sugar pine post with vertical blackwood inlays forming eight sides, to symbolise creation. The Paderborn Cross, constructed in four mitred sections with solid circular pieces on both sides, carries deep spiritual meaning. Martin interprets the vertical element as representing heaven and earth, with the horizontal signifying the life of Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the intersection. The Cross’ inaugural journey from St Kilian’s to the Cathedral is particularly fitting, because St Kilian’s was originally intended to be the site of the Diocese’s cathedral and served as the pro-Cathedral of the Diocese for many years. The Diocese is grateful to the Knights of the Southern Cross who donated funds to create the Processional Cross, presenting Bishop Shane with a cheque at their annual Barney’s Picnic.
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